Golden Globes 2017: Most Political Speeches

Host Jimmy Fallon told EW days before the Globes, “I’m sure there will be Trump jokes” — and he kicked off the night with a few of his own in his opening monologue. He started by welcoming everyone to the awards show, “one of the few places left where America still honors the popular vote.” Then he gave the usual shoutouts to the nominated films and series, taking a few more jabs at the president-elect. Pondering what Game of Thrones would be like if the cruel and cowardly child-king Joffrey had survived, he said, “Well, in 12 days we’re going to find out.” Fallon then mentioned Meryl Streep-starrer Florence Foster Jenkins, about the world’s worst opera singer — “even she turned down performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration.”

Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Tracee Ellis Ross

Best Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy winner Tracee Ellis Ross (for Black-ish) didn’t mention the President-elect, but she did speak directly to the groups who feel threatened by the divisive new administration — and who are often overlooked by Hollywood, despite its supposed liberal-lean. “This is for all the women, women of color, and colorful people whose stories, ideas, and thoughts are not always considered worthy and valid and important,” the actress said. “But I want you to know that I see you. We see you.” She spoke more about the need for diverse storytelling when she addressed the press backstage after accepting her statuette: “Look at the age difference of a lot of these nominees and the different kinds of stories each of us are telling,” she said. “I think that’s important and that’s part of what’s often missing: it’s not just color. It’s the diversity of storytelling.”

Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Right after Sarah Paulson took home the gold for her performance as Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, the lauded series picked up the prize for Best Series, Limited Series, or Movie Made for Television. Executive producer Nina Jacobson took the mic and read a prepared speech while the cast and creative team celebrated behind her. “The trial of O.J. Simpson turned tragedy into entertainment, reminding us that American justice is anything but blind when race, gender and celebrity are involved,” Jacobson read. “When working on the show, we had no idea how painfully relevant those themes would be in 2016.”

Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Hugh Laurie

“This is obviously a terrible mix-up,” Hugh Laurie began, when he accepted his statuette for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, or Movie Made for Television for his performance in The Night Manager. “I suppose even more amazing is that I’ll be able to say I won this at the last ever Golden Globes,” the Brit added. “I don’t mean to be gloomy — it’s just that it has the words ‘Hollywood,’ ‘Foreign,’ and ‘Press’ in the title. I also think, to some Republicans, even the word ‘Association’ is kind of sketchy.”

Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Zootopia

Best Animated Feature winner Zootopia cleverly preached acceptance with its charming story of anthropomorphic animals, and co-director Byron Howard brought up the film’s timely message in his acceptance speech. Zootopia speaks to adults as well as children because it’s “about embracing diversity even when there are people who want to divide us using fear,” he said. “On top of all that, we still managed to fit in a joke about a sloth working at the DMV.”

Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Claire Foy

Claire Foy, who won Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama, for her performance as the young Queen Elizabeth II in the first season of Netflix series The Crown, invoked her royal character in a quietly political speech. “I really, really, really wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for some extraordinary women. One of them is Queen Elizabeth II,” she said. “She has been at the center of the world for the past 63 years, and I think the world could do with a few more women at the center of it, if you ask me.”

Meryl Streep

After an admiring introduction by Viola Davis and even more adoring standing ovation from the crowd, this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award honoree Meryl Streep took the stage, apologized for having lost her voice, and then delivered a stunningly powerful, unabashedly political speech. First, she echoed Hugh Laurie, pointing out that Hollywood, foreigners, and the press are now the “most vilified segments of American society.” She talked about Hollywood, rattling off the birthplaces and hometowns of some of her fellow nominees. “Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners,” she concluded, “and if we kick ‘em all out, you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.” Once the applause died down, she talked about what she called “the one performance that stung me, that sank its hooks in my heart” — and it wasn’t one that was nominated for a Golden Globe. “There was nothing good about it. But it was effective, and it did its job.” She was talking about Donald Trump’s performance on the campaign trail, and she singled out the moment when he mocked a disabled reporter as the one that “kind of broke my heart when I saw it — and I still can’t get it out of my head, because it wasn’t a movie. It was real life,” she recalled, saying Trump’s cruelty “kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing” when modeled by a public figure. “Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence.” After emphasizing the necessity of “a principled press to hold power to account,” she finished her speech with a reminder to the room of their obligation as artists — and a nod to one of their own, whom we recently lost. “As my friend the dearly departed Princess Leia said to me once, take your broken heart. Make it into art. Thank you, friend.”

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1 of 7Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Jimmy Fallon's Opening Monologue

Host Jimmy Fallon told EW days before the Globes, “I’m sure there will be Trump jokes” — and he kicked off the night with a few of his own in his opening monologue. He started by welcoming everyone to the awards show, “one of the few places left where America still honors the popular vote.” Then he gave the usual shoutouts to the nominated films and series, taking a few more jabs at the president-elect. Pondering what Game of Thrones would be like if the cruel and cowardly child-king Joffrey had survived, he said, “Well, in 12 days we’re going to find out.” Fallon then mentioned Meryl Streep-starrer Florence Foster Jenkins, about the world’s worst opera singer — “even she turned down performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration.”

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2 of 7Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Tracee Ellis Ross

Best Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy winner Tracee Ellis Ross (for Black-ish) didn’t mention the President-elect, but she did speak directly to the groups who feel threatened by the divisive new administration — and who are often overlooked by Hollywood, despite its supposed liberal-lean. “This is for all the women, women of color, and colorful people whose stories, ideas, and thoughts are not always considered worthy and valid and important,” the actress said. “But I want you to know that I see you. We see you.” She spoke more about the need for diverse storytelling when she addressed the press backstage after accepting her statuette: “Look at the age difference of a lot of these nominees and the different kinds of stories each of us are telling,” she said. “I think that’s important and that’s part of what’s often missing: it’s not just color. It’s the diversity of storytelling.”

3 of 7Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Right after Sarah Paulson took home the gold for her performance as Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, the lauded series picked up the prize for Best Series, Limited Series, or Movie Made for Television. Executive producer Nina Jacobson took the mic and read a prepared speech while the cast and creative team celebrated behind her. “The trial of O.J. Simpson turned tragedy into entertainment, reminding us that American justice is anything but blind when race, gender and celebrity are involved,” Jacobson read. “When working on the show, we had no idea how painfully relevant those themes would be in 2016.”

Advertisement

4 of 7Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Hugh Laurie

“This is obviously a terrible mix-up,” Hugh Laurie began, when he accepted his statuette for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, or Movie Made for Television for his performance in The Night Manager. “I suppose even more amazing is that I’ll be able to say I won this at the last ever Golden Globes,” the Brit added. “I don’t mean to be gloomy — it’s just that it has the words ‘Hollywood,’ ‘Foreign,’ and ‘Press’ in the title. I also think, to some Republicans, even the word ‘Association’ is kind of sketchy.”

Advertisement

5 of 7Paul Drinkwater/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Zootopia

Best Animated Feature winner Zootopia cleverly preached acceptance with its charming story of anthropomorphic animals, and co-director Byron Howard brought up the film’s timely message in his acceptance speech. Zootopia speaks to adults as well as children because it’s “about embracing diversity even when there are people who want to divide us using fear,” he said. “On top of all that, we still managed to fit in a joke about a sloth working at the DMV.”

Advertisement

6 of 7

Claire Foy

Claire Foy, who won Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama, for her performance as the young Queen Elizabeth II in the first season of Netflix series The Crown, invoked her royal character in a quietly political speech. “I really, really, really wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for some extraordinary women. One of them is Queen Elizabeth II,” she said. “She has been at the center of the world for the past 63 years, and I think the world could do with a few more women at the center of it, if you ask me.”

Advertisement

7 of 7

Meryl Streep

After an admiring introduction by Viola Davis and even more adoring standing ovation from the crowd, this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award honoree Meryl Streep took the stage, apologized for having lost her voice, and then delivered a stunningly powerful, unabashedly political speech. First, she echoed Hugh Laurie, pointing out that Hollywood, foreigners, and the press are now the “most vilified segments of American society.” She talked about Hollywood, rattling off the birthplaces and hometowns of some of her fellow nominees. “Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners,” she concluded, “and if we kick ‘em all out, you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.” Once the applause died down, she talked about what she called “the one performance that stung me, that sank its hooks in my heart” — and it wasn’t one that was nominated for a Golden Globe. “There was nothing good about it. But it was effective, and it did its job.” She was talking about Donald Trump’s performance on the campaign trail, and she singled out the moment when he mocked a disabled reporter as the one that “kind of broke my heart when I saw it — and I still can’t get it out of my head, because it wasn’t a movie. It was real life,” she recalled, saying Trump’s cruelty “kind of gives permission for other people to do the same thing” when modeled by a public figure. “Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence.” After emphasizing the necessity of “a principled press to hold power to account,” she finished her speech with a reminder to the room of their obligation as artists — and a nod to one of their own, whom we recently lost. “As my friend the dearly departed Princess Leia said to me once, take your broken heart. Make it into art. Thank you, friend.”